Legion, Welcome to Fairy Tail!
by oso1991
Summary: After an accident 4 years ago, Naruto finally returns to fulfill a promise he made to an old geezer. How will this already rambunctious and eccentric guild deal with the ex-shinobi with a megalomaniac demon sealed within him. And he's Erza's boyfriend!
1. Welcome to Fairy Tail!

"It's been about four years, huh? Kyuubi?"

_**"If you're referring to that accursed accident mortal, then yes, it has been four of your miserably short four human years."**_

"Lighten up, would ya?"

_**"The day I lighten up is the day I rip your flesh from your bones, fleshling! Oh your heart in my great maw shall be the last your pathetic eyes will see before your spirit falls in the great unknown!"**_

Naruto chuckled. Bantering with the Kyuubi was one of his favorite hobbies as the old demon was extremely melodramatic in his threats. Still he had a point. It was four years since he had that unfortunate accident with the seal. Four long years since he had talked with the old geezer. And four long years since he had met the red-haired beauty. Naruto inhaled deeply, the numerous smells of Magnolia Town filled his senses. The fresh bread of the bakery. The sweet smell of wine. The-.

_**"Quit your artsy-fartsy description of the damned town and get to the meaty part before I begin to torture you for a thousand suns, puny mortal!"**_

Naruto's eye twitched. He quickly went back to the seal and smirked at the trapped Kyuubi. The demon swore under its breath when he saw the evil smirk on his jailer's face. Naruto snapped his fingers and with Kyuubi were two people. Gai and Lee. Kyuubi only had enough time to curse before the two started on their fearful speech.

"GAI!"

"LEE!"

In front of Kyuubi's eyes they hugged, exposing his eyes to the full power of their youth genjutsu.

_**"Aaargh! Curse you and your family for a thousand years! I shall-!"**_

Naruto ignored the threats and headed through the town, searching for the famous mage guild. The mage was a famous guild mostly because it was full of eccentric mages of all sorts. The first person he met was the guild master, Makarov who sent him on a training trip long when he first arrived. Said it would be good for him. Naruto agreed and left, promising to return. Naruto could not help but smile as he entered the large doors of the guild.

"I'm HOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMME!"

**Whack!**

Naruto winced and glared at the mug that nailed him in the side of the head. He picked up the mug and shook it in the air. The inside of the guild was a huge bar brawl. Naruto ducked a large unopened bottle and snatched it out of the air. He pulled open the cork and took a long drink out of the bottle, enjoying the sweet wine. Once he finished, he grinned and jumped in the middle of the brawl. Naruto nailed a pink-haired teen with a solid uppercut before slugging a shirtless teen in the face. He took a powerful fist in the face but grabbed the offending arm and slammed the person into a table. Naruto planted a foot on the dazed man and held up his bottle.

"I am the conqueror!"

"That's my line asshole!"

Naruto sprayed wine as a foot kicked him in the groin, sending him rolling on the ground. Near him, the man he slammed looked at Naruto in pity.

"Men should not be hit down there."

"I know right?" Naruto squeaked. He had to take several deep breaths to steady himself. After a long moment, he stood back up only to be nailed in the groin again by another mug.

_**"Hahahahaha! Yes! Feel the power of my wrath! Fate shalt be on my side! You time has come!"**_

"Shut the hell up Kyuubi."

Naruto pulled himself to his feet and glared at the people around him. He gathered up his chakra and made a cross with his hands.

_"Ninpou: Shadow Clone!"_

Ten Naruto copies appeared around Naruto and began to beat anyone in range. At that point, magical spells began to fly everywhere. A huge gout of fire erupted. A large brick arm, crushed a clone. He dodged an ice pillar only to get nailed by several cards. Naruto began to do hand seals for another jutsu but a loud voice roared through the guild.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

All action stopped and everyone turned to see a huge giant glare at them. Naruto paused and relaxed. The pink-haired teen cackled at everyone in the bar.

"Hahaha! I'm the winna-!"

**Squash!**

The giant squashed the teen under his foot like a tiny bug. He then turned to a blond girl, scaring the living wits out of her before reverting to a small man. Naruto chuckled as Makarov jumped twelve feet in the air to stand on a banister, looking down at the guild as if they were a bunch of rowdy children. He pulled out a pack of papers and shook it.

"I just came from the council and they are furious! Punching a VIP! Drinking several barrels and charging it to the council! Arrested for public nudity?"

"Hah! Amateurs!"

Makarvo glared at the pink-haired teen.

"Natsu you are the worst! I won't go into details but destroying half a town?"

"My bad."

Makarov sighed, shaking his head. Much of the guild looked down guiltily at the ground, shamed in disappointing their master in such a way.

"Forget them!"

Makarov ignited the stack of papers in his hands. He tossed it to Natsu who ate it.

"Magic is not a tool! It is a gift. Never mind the council and their rules! Do what you feel is right! That will and always will be the rule of our guild. We are Fairy Tail!"

A huge cheer erupted. Naruto smiled as he saw the happy faces of the mages around him. The placed was indeed like Konoha. He could make a home here.

Who was he kidding?

He was home.

* * *

"Back again, just as you promised. Have you decided on joining us?"

Naruto nodded and smiled. "I have Master Makarov."

Makarov smiled. "Thank you Naruto. Now onto the fun part. Let's get you registered."

"Registered?"

"Nothing big. Just fill out a form and we give you a tattoo."

Naruto glanced down at the form and quickly filled it out. He paused at the last part in choosing a nickname. Makarov glanced at his paper and smirked.

"I might have a name for you. One that I've heard your enemies called you."

Naruto turned to Makarov, interested.

"Legion. The thousand-demon army."

**_"The puny human's suggestion is satisfactory. It is worthy enough."_**

"Suits me."

Naruto grinned. "The Legion Mage. I like that."

After sorting out a couple of forms and handing several packs of paperwork, he headed down to the main area. Naruto took a seat at the bar and smiled at Mirajane, the pretty barmaid. She smiled at Naruto and passed him a mug of beer.

"New mage? Welcome to Fairy Tail."

"Thanks. Finished a longtime mission from Makarov really. Finally became a member."

"Oh really?" Mirajane asked. Naruto handed her the small card Makarov handed him. She glanced at it and gave a small gasp in shock.

"S-rank?"

Sprrrt!

"What?" Naruto asked. Mirajane glanced at Naruto in surprise.

"Didn't you know?"

Naruto shook his head. Mirajane gave him a small smile.

"Well Master certainly has a lot of trust in you. I think I'll be hearing a lot about you in the near future. Good luck."

"Thanks," Naruto said. "By the way, I'm looking for a girl with red hair and armor."

"Erza? You can't mean Erza Scarlet right?"

Naruto fished out a locket around his neck. Mira squealed when she saw what was inside the locket. Inside was a picture of Erza and Naruto kissing. It was the most girly picture of Erza she had ever seen.

"She's one of the main reasons I kept my promise."

Mira gave Naruto a small pat on the back. "Don't worry she'll be back soon."

"I hope so."

"You really fell for her, huh?"

"I did."

**_"Bah! Your pathetic lovesick speech is so sugary it rots my fangs! It amuses me that your manhood seeks a woman who is so much like your birth giver."_**

"Shut up before I bring the plushy toys!" Naruto snapped.

"New guy, let's fight!"

"No I'm fighting him first!"

Naruto glanced to the right to see two teens fighting on the bar stools next to him. Food and drinks were scattered about, messing up the bar. An overturn mug splashed sticky beer all over Naruto, staining his coat. Naruto grabbed the scruff of their necks and slammed them on the ground, knocking the wind from them and stunning the two of them.

"Have you any manners?" Naruto growled. "I'll fight both of you."

"Bring it on!"

"I'll take you down myself!"

Naruto looked up at the smiling bar maid. "Do they do this all the time?"

"You get used to it," Mirajane said. "Oh by the way boys, he's the new S-class mage. Naruto, the Legion."

"An S-class?" Gray asked nervously. He was lucky if he could be ranked a B+, much less S. He turned to Natsu who was positively jumping in joy.

"Yes, if I can defeat you, I can beat Erza!"

Naruto chuckled. Natsu definitely reminded him of himself, albeit his twelve year old self. The boy probably haven't received his first kill.

"Sure I have time. Let's go outside."

Five minutes later.

**_"Yes puny mortals! tremble in the face of my absolute power! Mwahahahaha!"_**

"Um, I fought not you."

**_"You are my avatar in this world. My strength are yours! My powers are yours!"_**

"So my ungodly obsession for ramen is due to you?"

**_"No. I mean yes. I mean-! Curse your circular philosophical reasoning puny mortal!"_**

"Yeah yeah, save it."

Naruto pulled out a pipe and began to smoke on the cured tobacco. He sat on a cushion and glanced at Natsu's head on the ground, his body stuck in the ground.

"I wasn't ready you whiskered cowered!" Natsu roared. Happy glanced at Natsu.

"You were beat like a whipped cream."

Naruto smirked. "Ain't that the truth?"

"Aye!"

"Happy you traitor!" Natsu roared.

"As much as I'm enjoying the useless argument, can you get off me?"

Naruto glanced down at the "cushion" he was sitting on. Natsu smirked at Grey who was wrapped up tightly in rope.

"Hah, you got your ass whooped!"

"So did you!"

Naruto blew a cloud of smoke in Grey's face.

"Well I've wasted enough time. Next time, try harder. Later popsicle, candle."

"Popsicle?"

"CANDLE! YOU BASTARD! GET BACK HERE!"

Naruto chuckled as Natsu thrashed about uselessly. To add insult to injury, Naruto placed a spoon in Natsu's mouth.

"Dig."

* * *

That night, Naruto began to feast upon bowl upon bowl of ramen. After the humiliation of Grey and Natsu, he was given a very large berth. Naruto frowned at the fear. He didn't want it to end up that way. There was some good in that Mirajane kept him company during his dinner. After a while, Mirajane's brother, Elfman, began to talk to him. Naruto liked the odd man. He reminded him of a more normal Gai or Lee, except talking about a man's duty instead of youth. As he ate, Naruto felt that he had much in common with the large man.

"So you're telling me you have trouble with this take-over magic?" Naruto asked. Elfman nodded.

"A man should not have any weaknesses!" Elfman stated. "I am ashamed!"

Naruto glanced at the man. "We all have weaknesses. For instance, I cannot live without my ramen."

"HAH! I HAVE FOUND YOUR WEAKNESS!"

From out of nowhere, Natsu sprang up and grabbed the bowl in Naruto's hand. Before Naruto could stop him, Natsu ate the contents of the bowl. He slammed the bowl in front of Naruto, smiling triumphantly.

"The battle is mine! And so shall the war! Right Happy?"

"Aye!"

Naruto looked at the bowl in shock before looking up at Natsu with hollow eyes.

"You ate my ramen," Naruto whispered. "You ate my ramen."

"So? What are you going to do?"

A few seconds later, Natsu was rolling around the guild with his face completely covered by his underwear. Laughter filled the guild as Natsu stumbled about trying to remove his underwear. It was difficult considering his hands were tied to his ankles by the scarf. Naruto looked at Natsu in satisfaction.

"Never touch my ramen."

He turned to Elfman and pointed at the man's chest.

"The way I see it, you need to look deep inside of yourself and speak with every monster that you have sealed. Regain dominance over them. That is the way of the man!"

"YES!"

Mirajane giggled as Elfman ran away excitedly.

"Happiest I've seen him in a while. Thank you."

"My pleasure."

* * *

The next day, Naruto looked up at the job sheets, searching for a relatively simple job. He frowned when he saw some of the mundane missions, remembering the boring D-rank jobs he once did. He pulled one of the sheets down and examined the mission. It was a simple extermination job of a bandit camp. A-rank too with a good payment. Naruto smiled at the amount of money. Enough to rival a low S-rank.

"Naruto! Let me fight you!"

"Don't you have better things to do?" Naruto asked, without turning around.

"NO!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and pulled out a pen and some paper. He quickly jotted down some notes and gave it to Natsu.

"Once you can do that, you can fight me."

Natsu took the paper eagerly. "Yatta! Just you wait! I'll kick your ass soon!"

Naruto chuckled as Natsu ran off. He heard someone nearby and turned to see Fairy Tail's newest mage, Lucy. She was staring at him with a curious eye.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Are you the unknown S-class mage that eliminated the five Dark Guilds in the east? The same one that eliminated the Chimera in the Fire Canyons?" Lucy asked. "They say the person had blond hair and scars on his face, like whiskers."

Naruto nodded. "Both of those were mine. I was a freelance at the time, exploring the world."

"Wow! You must be really strong?"

Naruto chuckled. "Before an unfortunate accident, I was the strongest mage in my guild."

"What happened?"

"Well I was working on a space-time spell and I think I messed up a part of the spell, transporting me to fates know where," Naruto explained. "Makarov was the first person I met. He explained to the best of his abilities and I decided to explore the land for four years. Just wandering. During my wanderings, I met the love of my life. I haven't seen her for months and I joined this mage, hoping to see her again."

He turned to see Lucy staring at him with stars in her eyes.

"What?"

"That is so romantic!" Lucy squealed. Naruto shrugged.

"I guess it is," Naruto said. Lucy sighed.

"I wish I had someone like that," Lucy whispered. "But all I have is a man-child that spits flames."

Naruto frowned. "Don't be so harsh on Natsu. I was like that when I was younger. He'll change. He just needs time and experience."

"Hey Happy, check this out!"

Naruto and Lucy turned to see Natsu balancing on a table with a table on his head. He stumbled and the table came crashing down. Naruto winced.

"Maybe a lot of time."

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned to see Mirajane holding a slip of paper for him. On the paper was a note from Makarov. He quickly shredded the paper and looked around the bar.

"Anyone know a Gray Fullbuster?"

"He's over there. The guy without the shirt," Mirajane said.

Naruto looked over to see the teen realize he was only wearing his underwear. Naruto strode over to the teen. Gray pulled on his clothes and noticed Naruto standing there amused.

"You need something?"

"Yeah, you're coming with me on a mission. Makarov's orders. Pack light, we won't be gone long."

"Might I ask where are we going?"

"To the Athryn Range to eliminate the White Peak Bandits."

Gray blanched. "By yourself? Against fifty?"

"Actually more than 100. Now c'mon, don't be dawdling."

* * *

That afternoon, the pair took a train to the Athryn mountain range where the bandits supposedly lived. After talking with the mayor of the town, Naruto and Gray followed a guide up through the mountains where the bandits' stronghold was. The guide nervously peeked over the edge of the cliff and looked down into the raving. He pulled his head back in and hurried over to Naruto and Gray.

"There over there! Please, I see half of our town down there. Save them!"

Naruto nodded. "Don't worry we'll save them. Is there anyway down without being spotted?"

The guide pointed to a small opening.

"Over there. Leads to a narrow staircase. Will hide you."

"Thank you. C'mon Gray."

Naruto walked down the staircase, followed closely by Gray. The staircase led the right by the fort, behind a screen of bushes. Naruto hunkered down by the bushes. Gray sat on the ground near him.

"So what now?"

"We go in," Naruto said simply.

"Just like that?"

Naruto nodded. "Just like that."

Naruto stood up in the bushes and held out his hand. A blue orb appeared in his hand and began to grow. Gray's mouth dropped as the orb grew to human size before it was compressed into the size of a baseball. It shone a brilliant blue and gave off a ethereal sound, like sirens. Naruto smirked at Gray's face.

"Keep up, rookie."

Naruto sprang from the bushes and before anyone spotted him, he rammed his hand into the front gate. The gates buckled and blew inward as the orb exploded, sending a huge shock wave and knocking everyone near Naruto off their feet. Naruto rushed in the gate. Gray ran in after him but could only stare as Naruto systematically took down every bandit while rescuing every captured villager. A literal army of Narutos swarmed through any resistance. Gray could see two clones gang up on one man, while another clone knocked out five bandits by himself. Everywhere were yellow-haired clones running about, causing havoc in the fort. A few were dispelled but soon the whole fort was under Naruto's control. The clones untied the villagers and several of them escorted them out of the base. Another group rounded up all of the bandits into one long chain, all of them shackled and bound with ropes. A final group looted the whole area, taking away large chests of treasures, stocks of food, and barrels of alcohol. Gray could only stare as Naruto effortlessly cleaned out the fort.

"Close your mouth kid. A fly would fly in."

Gray turned to see Naruto calmly puffing on a pipe. Naruto exhaled a cloud of fragrant smoke into Gray's face.

"Didn't expect you to freeze up like that."

Gray glared. "I didn't freeze up! You already finished before I could run in the door."

Naruto glanced inside the fort and shrugged.

"Got a point there rook. C'mon, at least help me get the villagers and loot back to camp."

The trip to the village was a short one with all the clones. The clones unloaded the supplies at the village storehouse and dispelled themselves. Naruto and Gray kept an eye on the bandits as the villagers gratefully reunited with their loved ones. Naruto smiled as the mayor approached them with his wife and daughter near him. He wiped the tears of joy in his eyes and shook Naruto's and Gray's hands thankfully.

"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done," the mayor whispered, overcome with emotion.

"It's no problem sir."

"Please take this pay and as much treasure as you wish," the mayor said. His wife nodded in agreement.

"We can at least give you that much."

"We appreciate it," Naruto said. "Please if you have any trouble, Fairy tail guild is always at your service."

"Of course."

Naruto pocketed the envelope the mayor gave him and pulled out a scroll. With the scroll, he sealed three chests of treasure inside. Once he finished, Naruto and Gray left the village. On the train, Naruto laid back peacefully, staring out the window. He felt Gray staring at him and frowned.

"Something wrong?"

"You're amazing!" Gray said. "You took out a hundred-!"

"127 plus two dogs."

"All those bandits without breaking a sweat!" Gray gushed. "And those clones and that orb! How did you do that?"

Naruto smirked as he closed his eyes.

"I'm just that good."


	2. The Queen Returns!

"Oi, new guy. It's morning already."

Gray watched from the bar as Alzack gently poked Naruto. Naruto groaned a bit. Alzack sighed and shook Naruto, roughly.

"Wake up!"

**BAM!**

Alzack was slammed onto the table with a knife at his throat. He swallowed nervously at the wild look on Naruto's eyes. Naruto's eyes began to focus and looked down at the petrified mage. Naruto yawned and released Alzack.

"Sorry about that. Next time just dump water on me."

Alzack nodded and ran away to the bar. Naruto strode over to Mirajane and waved sleepily at her. Mirajane smiled and passed Naruto a cold mug of juice. Naruto gave her a sleepy thanks and downed the mug.

"Gave poor Alzack a fright," Mirajane said.

"Reflexes. Anyway, why'd he wake me up?" Naruto asked.

"Master Makarov wants you to do a favor for him?"

"I thought I did one for him yesterday?" Naruto asked. Mirajane shook her head.

"No he asked if the newest Icha Icha was out yet?"

Naruto froze in shock and glanced at Mirajane. He shivered when he saw those warm blue eyes suddenly turn into an icy blue that only made her smile seem more sinister than Kyuubi's.

_**"Mwahahaha! Yes female! Beat this unworthy flesh bag until he cries for mercy! And then beat him more! And after his bones are turned into powder, his blood painted on the floor, and his organs squeezed of any fluids, take his corpse and boil it in water and feast upon his tenderized muscles like a well cooked steak!"**_

"Kyuubi, you are really sick sometimes. You know that right?"

_**"Silence fool and answer the female! The sooner you answer the she-demon, the faster I can see you be punished by the divine wrath of the Yuki-onna!"**_

Naruto turned to Mirajane with a neutral look.

"Yes I do but these were the writings of my godfather, who was the only one that took care of me when I was younger. Yes he was a pervert and a pig at times, but he was the one that protected me. I publish these to honor his memory."

Mirajane's frosty eyes immediately welled up in tears. She wiped a few falling tears and hugged Naruto in a motherly fashion. Naruto struggled for breath as he was squeezed into her "assets". Naruto struggled not to get a nosebleed while Kyuubi began to rant.

_**"NO! NO! You are supposed to pummel the blond into pulp! Batter him into a bleeding bag! Mash him into mulch! Not smother him with tender love! It's burning my eyes!"**_

"I...can't breathe," Naruto thought.

_**"Excellent! So deliciously demonic! Suffocating you under the guise of a loving hug! Go she-demon! Squeeze harder! Let the fleshling struggle in your iron grasps, clinging to life like a dying rabbit! Clutched in the arms of a seductress and killed in a hug! SQUEEZE HIM!"**_

"Mira, I need to breathe," Naruto gasped. Mirajane released him and Naruto inhaled huge lungfuls of air.

"So touching. I understand completely now Naruto."

"Thanks. But that doesn't change the fact that those that read it and can still stand are completely perverted."

"You can't be serious," Mirajane retorted, doubtful.

"Oi Gray, come here!"

Gray ran up to them, curious. Naruto pulled out the infamous orange book and held it out to Gray.

"Read it."

Gray took the book and he immediately turned red. A fountain of blood sprayed out of his nose and he fainted. Naruto tugged the book out of Gray's hands and turned to Mirajane.

"A pervert is able to still function after reading this book. Still, its a bestseller for both sexes."

Mirajane blanched in disbelief. "Master Makarov reads those all the time."

Naruto palmed his face. Why are all the old men he met are perverts?

_**"Because as your puny species ages, their manhoods are no-!"**_

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT STATEMENT!"

"Ah Naruto!"

Naruto looked over to see Makarov waving the infamous orange book at him with a smiling face.

"When will the next one come back!"

"Kyaah! Pervert!"

Makarov was smacked off the bar by Mirajane. Naruto began to laugh as Mirajane began berating the poor man about reading the book and being a pervert. Makarov was forced to retreat, persuaded by a hail of mugs and empty bottles thrown by the bar maid. Naruto held his aching midriff, trying to breathe. After a while, Naruto calmed down and started eating breakfast. As he ate, he heard someone sit next to him. Naruto took a glance and saw that Lucy was talking with Mirajane. She was explaining to Lucy about how the different guilds were interconnected to one another. As they talked, Natsu scared Lucy. Lucy screamed and began to scold Natsu. Natsu waved off her scoldings with a carefree smile.

"You guys did a mission too?" Naruto asked. Lucy nodded.

"We were sent to retrieve a book," Lucy said. Further up on a table, Gray spoke up.

"They managed to eliminate two mercs from the Southern Wolf Guild. Not as impressive as wiping out a whole bandit army but still impressive," Gray said.

"That was all Natsu," Lucy corrected. Gray glared at Natsu and grabbed his scarf.

"That was all you bastard?"

"What I heard you sat on the sidelines while Naruto cleaned up after you? What's the matter? Can't handle the big leagues?"

"Punk! I'll kill you!"

Gray and Natsu scuffled on the floor. Naruto rolled his eyes and looked up in time to see Loki run away from a puzzled Lucy. Mirajane chuckled.

"Loki has a bad time dealing with stellar spirit mages," Mirajane explained. "Probably because of an ex-girlfriend."

Loki came running back with a panicked look on his face.

"Natsu! Gray! She's back!"

An audible gasp was heard as a mage began to walk in, with a huge decorated horn on her shoulder. The people around Fairy Tail began to edge away from her as she strode up to the bar and set the horn down with a huge thud. She calmly looked around the bar once before speaking.

"I'm back. Is Master here?"

Mirajane shook her head with a scowl on her face.

"No, he is indisposed at the moment," she said. "Welcome back Erza."

Erza nodded. As she turned around, Naruto stood up from behind the bar and quickly turned to Mirajane.

"How do I look? Oh man, my hair's all messy!. How's my breath."

Mirajane giggled as she straightened out Naruto's coat and hair. "You look fine. Now go on."

Naruto nodded nervously and pulled out an embroidered blade that he found on one of his travelings. He jumped from behind the bar and strode up behind Erza. Before Erza could sense him, Naruto hugged her and lifted her up in the air. She immediately pulled out a sword and raised it to swing at Naruto.

"Guess who?"

Erza froze and turned around.

"Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded and placed her down. Everyone could only watch as a blush appeared on Erza's face and a soft womanly smile appeared. Naruto slowly brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and smiled at her.

"Yeah. It's been a long time, hasn't Erza-chan?"

"You really came to Fairy Tail."

"I always keep my promise."

Erza gave a small cry of delight and hugged Naruto. For a second, all seemed perfect.

**"ORAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**

Erza whirled behind Naruto's back and lifted Naruto into the air. She then executed a perfect German suplex and slammed him straight into the ground with a loud thud. Naruto's leg twitched in the air. Erza had a furious look on her face as she pulled out a blunt iron bar and slammed it between his legs. Every man in the guild winced as Naruto screeched out in pain.

"NEARLY TWO DAMN LONG YEARS AND NOT EVEN A LETTER? TWO DAMNED YEARS I'VE WAITED FOR YOU AND YOU HAVE THE GALL TO JUST STRIDE IN HERE WITH A SMILE ON YOUR CUTE FACE OF YOURS? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?"

Erza slammed the bar again into Naruto's groin. Every guy in the guild cowered behind shelter. Natsu and Gray clutched to each other in fear as they watched Erza rant furiously against Naruto. Underneath the floor, Naruto's head was clouded in pain.

_**"Most excellent! This female is worthy of even myself! Deception! Strong! And full of rage! Yes I shall turn her to the dark side and have her kill you! A most satisfying revenge against you! Killed by the person you love! Yes! YES! And once she strikes you down and you lie on the floor bleeding, I shall eat her in front of your dying eyes!"**_

Naruto pulled himself out of the ground and stared up at Erza. Erza swung the bar at him but he grabbed it before it hit him. He pulled it out of her grasp and wrapped his arms around her. Erza struggled feebly before staring up at Naruto. Naruto smiled and hugged her.

"I really did miss you Erza-chan."

Erza sniffled and hugged him back.

"You idiot. I missed you too."

Erza pulled away from him slightly and kissed him in front of the whole guild. Naruto hugged her tightly. He spun her around once before letting her down. Erza giggled and looked down to see the locket around Naruto's neck. She popped it open and smiled.

"You really did keep it."

Naruto fingered the crystal around Erza's neck.

"I could say the same."

Erza grabbed Naruto's hand and tugged on it. Naruto stood still, but scratched his neck embarrassed.

"Erza, I can't move?"

"Why not?"

"I lost the feeling in my legs after you hit me in the groin the second time."

Erza blushed embarrassed and helped Naruto to the bar. Naruto crawled up to the stool and sat on the stool. Almost at once, he gasped in pain as his groin began to swell. Naruto turned to Gray with a pained smile on his face.

"Be a buddy and hand me some ice, will ya?"

Gray created a chunk of ice with his magic and handed it to Naruto. Naruto moaned in relief and laid his head on the bar. As Naruto recovered, Erza began to straighten out the guild members. Naruto watched as his girlfriend acted as a drill sergeant, correcting everyone in the guild. She turned around to see Gray and Natsu acting like good buddies, albeit both of them trembling in fear.

"We've been acting good," Gray said in a shaky voice."

"Aye," Natsu said.

Naruto snorted. "The two of you assaulted me on my first day here, demanding a fight."

"WHAT?"

"Naruto, you bastard," Gray hissed.

"Aye."

Erza began to thrash the two mages soundly with solid blows with her fists. Mages all around the guild winced at the beating the two teens were receiving at the hands of the armored mage. Lucy hid behind Naruto, completely terrified and awestruck at Erza. After several painful moments, Erza straightened up and looked at the thoroughly punished pair.

"I know friends fight but you can't do it all the time," Erza said serenely. At her feet was a steaming pile of broken bodies formerly known as Gray and Natsu. Naruto was sufficiently healed enough to stand at Erza's side. Erza held his hands but continued to look at Gray and Natsu. "Anyway, both of you get up. I have a favor to ask of you."

Gray and Natsu stood up in surprise. Erza never asked for help.

"I would usually talk with Master about this but since he isn't here I'm going to need you two on a mission," Erza said. She also turned to Naruto. "You as well Naruto."

Naruto smirked. "A bit overkill, don't you think? Two S-ranks along with A-rank mages? What kind of mission is this?"

"An extremely dangerous one that needs to be fulfilled with absolutely no chance of failure," Erza said. "I expect to see you two ready tomorrow morning."

Erza turned to Naruto and smiled. "Why don't we have some alone time together, Whiskers?"

Naruto frowned. "Still calling me that name, Red?"

Erza held onto his arm and gave him a small smile. "Bah you love it."

"Only when its by you."

Naruto and Erza strode out of Fairy Tail guild. As they walked, Naruto began to tell Erza all about his adventures. She listened in fascinated silence as he told his tale of traveling across the continent, meeting so many people and helping out numerous people. He told her about how he slew the monstrous chimera by summoning Gamabunta and they froze it inside of a giant crystal before shattering it. How he managed to defeat the five dark guilds single-handed by using his clones, smoke, and illusions he dubbed the Yokai Army, a terrifying illusion on par with Mystogan's sleep illusion. It was a long and exciting tale and Erza loved every minute of it. Soon evening fell and Naruto escorted Erza back to the girl's dorms.

"I guess this where I say goodbye," Naruto said.

"You know, I thought you would have changed since I last saw you," she said softly. "But I was wrong. You haven't changed a bit from the knuckle-headed person I met two years ago."

"I thought its one of my most charming traits."

"It is Naruto. And I still love it," Erza whispered. "Thank you for keeping your promise."

Naruto smiled and tenderly stroked Erza's cheek.

"Of course I kept my promise. You're my girl and I would do anything for you."

"And you're my man," Erza replied. "So keep your eyes on me and me alone."

Naruto chuckled and hugged Erza. "Of course, milady."

Erza smiled and kissed Naruto goodnight before entering the girl's dorms. Once she closed the doors, she leaned heavily against the wall and fingered the crystal amulet that Naruto had given her. She still had the goofy lovestruck smile on her face and despite her best efforts of getting rid of it, it stuck onto her face. She chuckled and fondly thought of the blond haired goof that had won her heart.

* * *

_**Flashback**_

_Erza panted as she ran through the forest. Behind her was an army of bandits and mercenaries out to get her head. Already she was running low on magic and she had a deep wound spilling blood. She scrambled behind cover and forced herself to remain still as she felt the bandits and mercs surround the area she was hiding._

_"Come out poppet! We won't hurt you!" a bandit called out mockingly._

_"Er? I thought we were going to kill er?"_

_"Of course we are you dolt! But we're going to have a little bit of fun with her first."_

_"Once we break her, we'll sell 'er as a slve. Mighty high price she'll fetch."_

_"True true. Still we'll get her worth out of her first."_

_"Course we will."_

_Tears of fear and shame popped out of her eyes as her limbs trembled in fear and exhaustion. She cursed the fates as she held the sword, resolving she wouldn't be caught alive. She would rather be dead before becoming a slave again. As she hid, she didn't realize that around them, a gray smoke began to roll in the forest. The bandits and mercenaries didn't realize it at first but as the smoke became thicker, they began to hear cries and shrieks all around them. They quickly huddled into groups, wondering what was going on. Many of them felt lightheaded as they inhaled the smoke._

_"What the hell is going on?"  
_

_"Wait I can hear things."_

_"You're crazy mate."_

_"OVER THERE!"_

_Many of the bandits turned and saw a group of unearthly demons slowly walking towards them. Demons and specters of all shapes and forms stalked the smoke, flickering in the smoke. They were grotesque and horrifying to the eye. Yet an army approached them with haunting slowness. They carried all types of weapons in their rotting hands, jagged and rusted, still sticky from the blood of their last victims. _

_"Bloody hell, I'm out of here!"_

_A bandit broke cover but from the smoke, two ogres gutted him with their blades in front of their eyes. The bandit screamed as the ogres pulled him down and began to eat him alive. The surviving mercs and bandits began to run away but one by one they were cut down. Erza peered through the bushes in time to see one bandit cleaved into two by a huge blade. Around her, the army of bandits and mercenaries were slaughtered by ghostly demonic army. She raised her sword in fright as one of them looked at her. The ogre paused and flickered out of existence. She looked around to see the demons that were around her all fade away along with the smoke. The smoke cleared to reveal a blond haired man of her age, wielding a nodachi nearly 6 feet long. He holstered the blade and ran up to her. Erza swung to blade but he grabbed it. _

_"Easy now, you're safe."_

_Erza panicked but the stranger held her tightly in his arms, whispering soothing words. Slowly her panic gave away to relief and she began to cry into his shoulder. He chuckled and laid her against a tree. From his pack he pulled out a first-aid kit and began to clean and dress her wound. She laid still and waited until the stranger finished cleaning her wounds. _

_"There you go. C'mon I saw a town nearby you could rest."_

_Erza tried to stand but the strain was too much for her and she fell. Naruto frowned._

_"Need help?"_

_Erza looked down in shame but nodded her head. Naruto knelt down so she could climb on his back. Erza wrapped her arms around his neck and blushed as she was easily carried by the stranger. For several minutes they walked in silence. _

_"So what's your name?"_

_"Erza Scarlet."_

_"Well Erza-chan, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you!" the stranger said happily. Erza could not help but give Naruto a small smile._

_"It's good to meet you. Thank you for saving me."_

_"No problem," Naruto said. "You were really strong back there Erza."_

_Erza looked down at the stranger in astonishment. "What do you mean?"_

_"You were still willing to fight even when the odds were against you. I like that."_

_"I'd rather die than give up my freedom," Erza said fiercely. Naruto chuckled and looked at her in the eye. In those blue eyes, she could see the same kind of pain she once endured._

_"I would do the same Erza-chan."_

_Erza blushed and rested her head against Naruto's shoulder. For the first time in a long while, she felt comfortable with someone. _

_And it felt nice_

_**End Flashback **_


	3. Lullabies and Nightmares!

The next morning, Naruto waited at the train station along with the other four companions accompanying them on the trip. He sat on a bench with Lucy as Natsu and Gray squabbled in front of him. He had broke up a fight just seconds ago and already Naruto could see another fight appearing as Natsu and Gray glared at each other. Naruto pulled out his pipe and lit it, hoping the tobacco would calm his irritated nerves. Lucy inhaled the fragrant smoke and she began to sway as the smoke filled her senses. Natsu and Gray were also affected. Happy was already walking around in circles before Naruto realized his mistake. He dumped the tobacco and waved some fresh air into the mages' faces.

"Sorry about that. Forgot the fumes would be a bit strong," Naruto said, sheepishly. Lucy's eye narrowed at the pipe.

"I've smelled tobacco before and that definitely wasn't tobacco."

Naruto nodded. "It's a mix of tobacco and a special herbal mixture that is a hallucinogen and a relaxant. I'm able to handle it because my body metabolizes it so fast. It's about the only thing strong enough to keep me settled when I'm anxious."

"Oi, Happy! That's the secret to Naruto's power! We must get a pipe!"

"Aye!"

Gray rolled his eyes.

"Of course not you idiot," Gray said. Naruto cleared his throat.

"Gray, where are your clothes?"

"Huh?" Gray looked down to realize he was in his boxers. "Ah crap!"

Gray frantically pulled on his clothes while Natsu cackled at Gray.

"Ha! And you call me the idiot?"

"What did you say?"

"You heard me!"

"Punk!"

"Bastard!"

Natsu tackled Gray and the two began to brawl on the ground. Naruto's eye twitched and he kicked Natsu in the side and Gray in the stomach. The two rolled away, winded and flinched at Naruto's glare.

"I wonder if I was that bad when I was young?" Naruto thought to himself.

_**"I wonder if I was that bad when I was young? BAH! You were and it was worse as you whined and bitched about not being able to access my divine and godly power of my raw greatness! Numerous times I had to listen to your godawful drivel and promises in your prepubescent squeaky voice of yours resembling a castrato."**_

"I was young then, give me a break."

_**"Being young does not mean excuses you little bastard! When I was your age, I already completely my domination over the Hachibi and made the Nibi my mate. Yes that night I ravaged her over and over again until she begged for -!"**_

"Alright, too much information," Naruto snapped. He looked down to see Natsu and Gray still scuffling on the ground._**  
**_

"Will you stop that? It's getting on my damn nerves already. Now behave else I'll tell Erza."

"Tell me what?"

Everyone turned to see Ezra pulling an enormous cartload of luggage. Naruto sighed and palmed his face as Ezra pulled the cart beside the train.

"Hey Red? Why do you have so much stuff with you?"

"It's all my weapons and armor along with other stuff."

Naruto pulled out an empty scroll and quickly wrote a kanji on it. The other mages watched in fascination as Naruto bit his thumb and made a few hand movements before placing his bleeding hand on the kanji. Erza's luggage turned into swirled and flew into the kanji, vanishing with a puff of smoke. Naruto grinned and handed the scroll to Erza.

"There you go. Much more simpler than pulling a cart."

"WOW! How'd you do that?"

Naruto turned to Lucy.

"It's a basic Space-storage spell. It's different than what you mages here use though so I may not be able to teach it to you."

"Where did you come from again?" Lucy asked.

Naruto smirked. "From a distant galaxy, far far away."

Erza giggled as Lucy pouted. It's funny how that simple truth was not believed by anyone. The loaded onto the train and as the train started to move, Natsu immediately became queasy. He began to moan loudly and retch several times. Naruto and Erza held identical smiles as focused on Natsu.

"Come over here for a second Natsu," Erza said kindly. Natsu nodded and sat in between Naruto and Erza. Before anyone could stop them, Erza and Naruto sucker punched Natsu in the stomach. Natsu collapsed into a limp heap. Naruto chuckled and deposited Natsu's head onto Lucy's lap.

"Here you take care of the brat."

Lucy nodded, too frightened to disobey. She automatically began to stroke Natsu's hair and flushed when Natsu's nuzzled her lap. Naruto frowned and laid his head on Erza's lap. Erza looked down at Naruto, confused.

"You mind?" Erza asked. Naruto gave her a grin and shook his head.

"Not at all. I like the view down here."

"BAKA!"

Everyone in the cabin flinched, expecting Erza to start punishing Naruto but instead she gave him an annoyed frown and began to run her fingers through Naruto's hair. She did not want to admit it but Naruto's hair was extremely soft and fluffy like a fox's tail, and she began to like the feeling of it running through her fingers. Naruto glanced up at Gray and smirked.

"Looks like you're the only one without a partner. I'm sure Happy would be fine with you."

"Aye!"

Gray glared at Naruto, annoyed but restrained himself as he feared Erza.

"So Erza, what's this mission about?" Lucy asked.

Erza frowned and looked out the window for a moment before speaking.

"Coming back from my mission I stopped by a bar for some rest and food. As I was there, a group of mages were also there speaking in hushed whispers. I naturally listened in and multiple times they were speaking about a plan, Shinigami, and Eisenwald."

Naruto frowned. "Isn't Eisenwald that Dark Guild specializing in assassinations?"

Erza nodded. "It was but I did not recognize it at the time. If I did I would have slain them all right then and there."

Lucy, Gray and Happy flinched at the fierce look on Erza's face. Naruto looked at Erza confused.

"It's only one guild. Surely you didn't need the extra company. Even just the two of us we would be more than enough to handle it. Why take Natsu, Gray, and Lucy?"

"Well when I was there, the mages talked more importantly of two things. Lullaby and Helfor," Erza said. "From what I could tell, Helfor is allied with Eisenwald on this mission concerning Lullaby. Do you have any idea what it is?"

"Some theories but rather far-fetched. The most sensible one is a large area illusion magic that forces everyone into a nightmare, much like Mistgun's illusions. In that way they would be able to kill everyone with ease," Naruto replied. "If it's powerful enough and well placed, maybe Master would be caught off guard. Add in a guild specializing in assassinations and you have quite a problem."

Erza nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking for. But I'm more worried about Helfor though. Not much is known about them."

Naruto snorted. "It's a Dark Guild focused on necromancy. Disgusting vile magic that makes you want to rip your eyes out. All the members are horribly disfigured at the flesh and blood sacrifices they make in return for extremely powerful summons."

"Necromancy?" Lucy gasped. Naruto nodded grimly.

"A bastardization of your magic Lucy," Naruto said. "Still, they are vulnerable to elemental magic such as ice, fire, and light magic. Something Gray and Natsu will be very useful for."

Naruto turned to Gray with a lopsided smirk.

"Don't let me down popsicle," Naruto said. "If you do well, I may promote you to snow cone."

"Why you-!"

The train whistled loudly and everyone went out. Lucy pulled Natsu off of her and followed Gray outside. They quickly loaded their stuff off and stepped off the train. PRetty soon the train whistled again and the train left the platform. They walked away in comfortable silence. Naruto looked around and frowned when he noticed a mop of pink hair missing.

"Hey, where's Candle?"

Everyone looked around to see that Natsu wasn't with them. Gray and Erza groaned.

"Oh no we must've left him on the train," Gray said.

"He gets nauseous when on vehicles," Erza said. Naruto frowned.

"That's a lame weakness."

"Naruto, hit me!"

"What?"

"I must atone for my mistake."

"Alright."

Erza gave a small cry in surprise when Naruto smacked her ass. She rubbed her stinging rear and glared at Naruto who was blushing red, smiling pervertedly.

"What was that?"

"You told me to hit you!"

"How're we going to get Natsu?" Lucy called out.

Naruto chuckled. "I have the perfect solution."

* * *

"This is completely absurd."

"Oi! Watch who ya talking about popsicle."

Gray looked down at the giant toad that Naruto had summoned. The toad was rapidly chasing after the train with huge earth-shaking leaps. Gray and Lucy were hanging onto the toad's coat while Naruto stood confidently at its head with Erza. Naruto looked completely at ease as he chatted with the gigantic toad.

"So how's Boss?"

"Ah, he's good. By the way, you owe me some of your special pipe weed."

"Eh? I thought I paid you already?"

"Nope. Remember I still beat you in our poker game last week. You owe me three pounds of the stuff."

"Do you know how hard it is to make it?"

"Yep! You were bitching about all that night so that's why I put up my knife for it."

"You cheating frog."

"Oi! Don't call me a frog!"

Before Naruto could retort, Erza pointed at a plume of smoke.

"There's the train!"

"Hurry Gamakichi!"

"ORA!"

With a huge leap, the toad flew right beside the train just in time to see Natsu fly out the window. Gamakichi caught Natsu with his tongue and pulled him closer.

"WAAAH! A huge frog!"

"I'm a toad dammit!"

Gamakichi set Natsu down on the ground. Natsu immediately scrubbed himself much to the amusement of Naruto and Gamakichi. Natsu glared at all the mages present.

"You guys are horrible! You left me on the train."

"Sorry," Lucy said.

"I apologize," Erza said. She slammed him into a tight hug against her armor. "I'm glad you're safe."

"Psht. Weakling," Naruto muttered. Natsu pried himself out of Erza's grasp and faced Naruto.

"What'd you say?"

Naruto smirked. "Glad you're okay, Candle."

"Raaagh! I'll kill you!"

Naruto held out an arm as Natsu tried to punch him to no avail.

"So why did you fly out of the train anyway?"

Natsu paused. "Some weird guy attacked me. Eisenwald or something."

"Eisenwald?"

"IDIOT!"

With an enraged punch, Ezra sent Natsu flying. Natsu groaned and looked at Erza confused.

"Were you not listening to what I was saying during the whole train ride?" Erza scolded. Naruto chuckled.

"We knocked him out Red, not his fault," Naruto said. Erza blushed in embarrassment. "Do you want me to punish you again?"

Erza reddened and slapped Naruto in the face.

"Ow, I was kidding," Naruto muttered. "Any, did you see anything odd Natsu?"

Natsu shook his head. "The guy was pretty normal except he had this weird three-eyed flute in his bag, in the shape of a skull."

Lucy and Naruto froze.

"Lullaby," Lucy whispered. Naruto nodded.

"So it really is The Lullaby," Naruto said softly.

"Explain," Erza commanded.

"Lullaby is the magic of Death itself," Lucy explained.

"One of the artifacts created by Zeref himself, the one that plays the flute summons the essence of Death itself. Anyone who hears the melody instantly dies," Naruto said in a grim voice.

"Impossible," Gray muttered.

Erza shook in anger. "We need to stop Erigor before he uses it. If he does, there's no telling how many people he'll kill."

Naruto looked at Gamakichi.

"Kichi, how fast can you travel?"

The toad grinned widely.

* * *

**Thud. Thud. BOOM.**

"Urrrrrgh."

Naruto easily slipped off the toad and passed Gamakichi a package.

"Thanks a lot buddy."

"No problem. But I was hoping for a big fight."

Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry, next time I summon you I'll promise you a fight."

Gamakichi nodded and dispelled himself. Naruto turned to see Erza knock out three guards in quick succession. She was about to knock out a fourth one when Lucy stopped her.

"Would you tell us what happened?" Lucy asked the terrified guard.

"A group of mages took over the station. A whole guild of them. A platoon was deployed but they didn't have a chance," the man babbled. "Then another group came by train and now both of them are holed up inside the station. They haven't made any demands."

Naruto tossed Natsu over to Lucy. Natsu had fainted on the way to the town as the jerky motion of riding on the toad's back had been too much for him. Erza looked to Naruto in concern.

"We have two groups of mages and we're not sure that Erigor is with them," Erza spoke. Naruto frowned.

"No, he's with them. Erigor has a powerful weapon in his grasp and he'll flaunt it about before he'll use it," Naruto said. "While Eisenwald won't be too difficult to deal with, Helfor is another story. Most of them have a high tolerance to pain or are invulnerable to pain due to their magic. Much like the living corpses they use, you need a killing blow to put them down."

Erza nodded. "I'll deal with Eisenwald's forces first and help you with Helfor. Natsu and Gray should be enough to deal with Erigor."

"Agreed."

The group hurried inside the station. Lucy became ill as she saw the gruesome corpses littering about, nearly dropping Natsu. Naruto placed a gentle hand on Lucy, helping her up.

"C'mon young miss, pull yourself together now."

Lucy nodded and hurried after Erza, avoiding the bodies littering the place. Naruto glanced at a corpse near his feet with some regret.

"Rest in peace buddy. You're in a better place now."

Erza was the first to reach the top of the stairs. Gathered in the middle of the station were the two dark guilds, loitering about. Eisenwald's leader Erigor split into a wide smile when he spotted Erza.

"Well, well. The flies have come to the corpse. We've been waiting for you Fairy Tail."

Erza smirked. "Thanks for waiting all in one nice group. Saves me the trouble of finding you before I kill you."

"Now, now, a pretty young thing like yourself shouldn't be making awful threats."

Erza turned to see an oily looking mage leering at her. At her side, she heard Naruto growl softly.

"Heron, the Swamp Corpse. Keep your filthy eyes off Erza."

The mage smiled widely. "Naruto-chan! You're here! Excellent! I've been waiting to repay you for our last encounter."

"This mage gives me the creeps."

**_"I agree with you fleshbag. Destroy the leecher and burn his body so those slimy eyes will never look upon my glorious visage again."_**

"What do you intend to do?" Erza asked. Erigor smirked.

"Nothing much, we're just bored as you guilds ran us out because we ain't afraid of getting our hands dirty," Erigor replied. "I'll give you a hint though."

He flew up and tapped the loudspeakers. Erza gaped.

"You would cast Lullaby here?"

Before Erza could charge the cheeky assassin, Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder.

"No, they wouldn't," Naruto said calmly. "Because that would ruin the element of surprise."

Heron simply grinned while Erigor's eyes narrowed. Gray turned to Naruto in confusion.

"Surprise?"

"Lullaby is a powerful weapon but not so powerful that it is invincible. Using it on a crowd of civilians will have no meaning. They're going to use it where it will hurt the guilds the most."

Erza froze. "You wouldn't."

Heron clapped. "Well done. You finally know our plan. However you cannot stop us."

"Try us," Gray growled out. Heron chuckled and turned to Erigor.

"Get going, I'll deal with these flies myself," Heron said. Erigor nodded and flew out the window. Naruto turned to Gray and Natsu.

"Gray! Natsu! Stop Erigor at all costs! Wreck the whole damn town but stop him!"

Gray and Natsu nodded and hurried after Erigor. Two spells flew their way but they were stopped by Naruto who easily blocked them with his kunai. Erza cracked her knuckles and summoned a sword out of her large armory of weapons. Before Naruto could stop them, two of Eisenwald's mages escaped.

"I'll handle Heron. You and Lucy deal with everyone else."

Erza nodded while Lucy blanched. Erza turned to Lucy.

"Get ready Lucy."

Lucy swallowed but nodded as she pulled out a key.

"OPEN! A door to the Golden Bull Palace: Taurus!"

A magical array flashed briefly before a large Minotaur warrior appeared in front of Lucy, brandishing a huge battle-axe.

"Moooo! Lucy, your boobs look very nice today!"

Naruto sweat dropped and palmed his face.

"Really?"

Lucy swatted the perverted summon's hand and pointed at the crowd of mages facing them.

"Get them!"

"MOOO! FOR THE BOOBS!"

Taurus barreled into the group his mighty axe sweeping them most of them like flies. Erza jumped into the fray and began to clear a great number of them with her blades. Lucy watched in amazement as Erza quickly summoned and changed her weapons. First from a large broadsword to twin blades, then to a huge spear before finally changing out to a full suit of armor. Nearly fifty swords floated around her and spun around Erza like a giant buzz saw, defeating nearly all of Eisenwald and Helfor in a short amount of time. From the nearly sixty mages, Eisenwald and Helfor only had around 5 mages left. However they were the most dangerous.

"Sorry about this."

Before Erza could stop them, the three surviving Helfor mages killed the two Eisenwald mages in cold blood. As they fell, the Helfor mages began to cast their magic. A purplish array appeared from the ground and from the array, a monster appeared from the ground. Lucy screamed in shock at the beast as it snarled at them. The beast was nearly twice the size of a bear and it leered at them with red eyes.

"A manticore," Erza whispered.

A lion with a man's face and a scorpion's tail, covered in poisonous spines. The manticore roared at them before charging. Taurus mooed and swung his battleaxe at the beast. The beast skidded to the side but lashed out with its tail at the summon. Taurus flew away and slammed hard into a pillar, sending chunks of marble upon his head. Erza glared at the beast as it waved its stinger in her direction.

"Black Wing Armor!"

Her armor vanished and replaced by a black armor. Wings spread out as she summoned a large halberd. She took off into the sky and pointed her weapon at the beast. The manticore eyed her dangerously and roared.

On the other side of the station, Heron grunted as he was knocked through a wall. He shook off the rubble and looked through the hole he made. On the other side of the wall, Naruto cracked his knuckles and glared at the mage.

"This is your fifth body, Heron? I know by now that this is not your true form. Come out you bastard leach!"

Heron chuckled. "Well Naruto-chan, if you want to see it that bad, you are going to have to do better than this."

Heron punched out at Naruto. A blackish orb flew out and struck Naruto. Naruto grimaced as sparks of pain spasmed through his body. He shook off the pain and pulled out three kunais and flung them at Heron. Two of the kunais nicked Heron while the last struck him squarely in the leg. Heron ripped it out and glared at Naruto.

"You'll pay for that brat."

Before he could cast another spell, Naruto appeared beside him.

_"Fuuton: Wind Blade!"_

Naruto gutted Herod with a wind sword. Herod gasped softly as the blade stabbed a large hole in his stomach and went through him. Naruto pulled the blade back and let Herod slide to the floor, black slime oozing from the mage's body. Naruto glared at the body and kicked it, sending it flying away.

"Get up Heron, I know you're still alive."

Heron chuckled and stood up. "You know me too well Naruto-chan. I think it's time to show my true self."

The man grabbed his mouth with his hands and began to rip open his mouth wider and wider. Two arms erupted from his mouth and the monstrous form of Heron began to crawl out. Naruto looked in disgust at the monster before him, hissing and clicking at him as more and more of itself pulled itself out of the corpse.

"You are sick."

Heron chuckled as it swayed in front of him. A gigantic centipede with legs made from nearly a hundred human arms and its face constantly shifting from all of his previous victims. Heron quickly displayed a woman's face and cackled at Naruto. On the other end of the form, three large scorpion tails waved and lashed out in Naruto's direction. Heron clacked two large pairs of pincers loudly before crushing a pillar easily.

"What's wrong Naruto? Do you not appreciate my form?" Heron asked.

"Hard to appreciate something so ugly," Naruto snapped.

Herod chuckled. "Well maybe you will appreciate it more once I steal your face from your corpse!"

Naruto bit his thumb and slammed it on the ground.

_"Kuchiyose: Toad Odachi!"_

From the smoke, an odachi nearly six feet long appeared. It was simply a knife with a handle. The blade was five and a half feet long by three inches thick, curving slightly into a point. The handle made the rest of its length and it was covered in cloth with a long strip fluttering about. Naruto held the blade up high and glared at Heron.

"Bring it!"


	4. Fighting Monsters!

Erza panted as she used her armor's ability to fly away from the manticore. The beast roared and it's fur rippled once before a barrage of needles flew towards her. Erza quickly summoned two swords and spun them around, deflecting the needles. However the manticore's tail lashed out, catching Erza by surprise. Erza blocked the stinger but the force behind the blow was enough to send her crashing. She climbed out the rubble, dazed but not particularly wounded. The manticore pounced at her. Erza used her blades and slashed out at the beast. The beast's thick hide deflected most of the damage but Erza's blow left two long cuts. Black blood began to drip out, burning the stones. Erza's eyes narrowed at the melted stones.

"Acidic blood," she hissed. However before her eyes, the skin easily stitched back. "And regeneration."

Erza stared at the beast again as it pawed towards her. The beast had been wounded enough for it to eye her cautiously. She summoned a large ornate lance and held it out at the beast. The beast reared back and roared, sending out a magic-infused shockwave. Erza was blasted back but she summoned a large bow and arrow. She dodged a sting from the beast and unleashed the arrow. The arrow screamed in the air, crackling with magic. The arrow ripped through the skin and exploded, showering the area with black blood. Erza rushed to where Lucy was hiding and quickly pulled her away. The beast roared loudly, enraged at being wounded. Erza glanced back and saw that even though the manticore had a large chunk of its shoulder blasted off, it was quickly rebuilding its shoulder. It slowly approached the two mages, stalking them. As Erza pulled out a spear, Lucy grabbed the whip at her side and cracked it. The manticore paused once. Erza turned to Lucy.

"Whip the beast."

Lucy snapped her whip towards the beast. The manticore paused before stalking her. Erza grinned. She summoned two whips from her arsenal and began to lash out at the beast. The manticore roared defiantly but the loud whip cracks pained its ears. Erza lashed out even fast and welt marks began to appear all over the manticore's face. As lash upon lash was rained down on the manticore, it slowly began to cower and whimper.

"NOOOO! Worthless beast!"

Erza looked up to see the three Helfor mages glaring at the beast. On of them pulled off his robes and unsheathed two wicked daggers. Before anyone could stop him, he stabbed his two comrades. With the blood, he quickly painted a magical array on the ground. The ground rumbled and vines appeared around the manticore. The manticore roared and struggled but the vines began to mutate and absorb the manticore. Lucy and Erza watched as the manticore was assimilated into the vines. The vines slowly spiraled into a large tree. The tree shuddered once and from its branches, large fruit fell. The fruit ruptured and from inside these fruits, miniature versions of the manticore were created. The manticore was the size of a horse though and Erza doubted that it was any less dangerous. More fruit fell and soon there were ten manticores facing her and Lucy. She quickly pulled out a spear and stabbed the manticore. The manticore lashed out but soon shuddered and died. Its black blood sprayed and melted the stones on the ground. Erza pulled her spear back in time to see the iron head melt along with the wooden shaft. She cursed and pulled out another spear in time to block a manticore. She quickly kicked it back and turned to Lucy.

"RUN!"

Lucy nodded and ran away from the battle. Erza glared at the nine manticores in front of her, slowly approaching her. The tree cracked and shook. Several more fruit dropped and burst to reveal more manticores. Erza sighed and changed her armor.

"Poison Queen!"

The purple skintight armor completely covered her and protected against even the strongest of poisons and acids. However it was notoriously weak against weapons. Erza summoned a thin saber, the Serpent's Bane. It was completely impervious to poison and acid. She gave it a couple swings before pointing it at the manticores.

"Come on!"

Two manticores pounced at her. Erza swung her blade at eye-blurring speeds and chopped them up. She lunged and stabbed another one before it could dodge. Erza jumped back, dodging a stinger and lopped it off with her sword. The beast wailed in anguish before she cleaved its head. She began to demolish the manticores. However as chopped them up, more and more manticores began to replace them, due to the tree. She could feel herself begin to tire after she eliminated the twentieth manticore but there were still more coming. The tree continued to produce more and more despite her best efforts of eliminating them.

"Open, a door to the Treasure Vase Palace: Aquarius!"

"Erza-chan, move!"

Erza looked to see a large flood of water come her way. She jumped up to the top of the pillar. The wall of water washed away the manticores, drowning them and sending its corpses out of the station. Erza spotted the Helfor mage climbing away and she threw her saber. The saber twirled in the air before impaling the mage against the wall. The mage cried out once, shuddered, and remained still. Erza heard a screeching noise and saw that the tree wilted before her eyes and gave a loud keening scream before igniting into flames. The tree burned with an unholy flame and quickly turned into ash. Outside, all the manticore corpses also burst into flames and turned into ash. Erza gave a sigh of relief and changed to her regular armor. She turned around to see Lucy arguing with her stellar spirit before it vanished. Erza approached Lucy and nodded, gratefully.

"Well done Lucy-chan. Thank you for the assist," Erza said calmly. She hugged her once, not noticing her hard armor hurt Lucy.

"No problem Erza-chan!"

"We need to find Erigor now!"

Lucy nodded and followed Erza out of the station. However, the station was surrounded by a wall of wind. Erza touched the wall and quickly pulled back as the wind stung her hand, leaving a small cut. Erza frowned.

"We're trapped."

* * *

Naruto rolled away to avoid a stinger and blocked Heron's claw. The claw snapped at him and Naruto leaped back and raised his sword high. It glowed blue as it sliced through the claw. Heron screamed in pain.

"WHAT? No mortal weapon can pierce my armor!"

Naruto smirked. "This is the great sword of the Toad clan, infused and bathed in its holy oil. This is no normal blade and it will natural take the property of the wielder's natural element, in my case, wind and also-."

The blade burst in angry red flames.

"Fire."

Naruto swung the blade and a wave of fire, enhanced with a second wave of wind, flew at Heron. Herons screeched as the intense flame scorched his armor and burned many of his legs into ash. Heron glared at Naruto, this time with a ugly man's face.

"You! I shall enjoy taking your face in my collection."

With a wet, popping noise, Heron's legs regrew and he scuttled towards Naruto. Naruto blocked his claws and kicked out at him. Heron's form absorbed the blow and he swung at Naruto with his claw. Naruto was sent flying back but with his chakra, stuck on the wall. Naruto holstered the blade and made several hand seals.

_"Fuuton: Vacuum Cannon!"_

Naruto inhaled deeply and compressed the air within his lungs. He released it, firing a huge shock wave at Heron. Heron was blown back at the blow. He pulled himself off the ground and glared at Naruto. Naruto shuddered as he saw the old woman's face glare at him hatefully. Heron reared back and released a deluge of black slime. Naruo jumped to the ceiling and looked down to see corpses begin to rise up from the slime. Naruto easily cut down several of the zombies but Heron slammed his stinger into Naruto. Naruto barely blocked it with his blade but the force was enough to send him in through the wall. Several zombies piled onto him and began to bite at Naruto. Naruto roared in rage and spun about, splitting every corpse within a five foot radius into two. Naruto used his sword and swung it again, sending a wave of fire at the approaching zombies. They continued to walk towards him but the intense flames soon burned them into ashes. Naruto looked around, for Heron's monstrous form.

"Where are you?"

"Here Naruto-chan!"

Two claws erupted from the ground and clamped onto Naruto's arms. Another two grabbed Naruto's legs. Heron chuckled as Naruto struggled.

"Your face is so delicious. Let me wear it!"

Heron's face split open to reveal sinister looking fangs. He bit Naruto but Naruto chuckled.

_"Ninpou: Great Clone Explosion!"_

Naruto watched as his clone exploded. Heron felt the full impact and his body was blasted in two. The lower half was mostly disintegrated while the upper part was slowly crawling away. Naruto appeared and quickly lopped off all of his claws off. He stared down at the worm-like body of Heron. Heron smirked.

"Well, Naruto-chan, you got me. Finish it!"

Naruto bent down and shoved his arm down Heron's throat. With a loud yell, he pulled out a slimy bundle from Heron's throat. Heron's eyes watched in horror as Naruto slowly approached it. The bundle was a gruesome looking thing as it was a baby's face with a grub's body. It gave off a keening scream as Naruto kicked it carelessly.

"I had enough of you so this time I will put you down permanently. Didn't think I would find out about your little secret, did you Heron?"

"No! Wait!"

Naruto ignored Heron and stomped on the grub. Dark slime sprayed everywhere, staining the ground. Heron made a high-pitched shriek as his soul was ripped away from his body and into the cold arms of the shinigami awaiting him. Naruto faintly saw the shinigami grin before eating Heron's soul. Naruto walked away and dispelled the blade, sending it back to the Mt. Myoboku. Naruto turned around and headed to the front of the station to see the rest of the group standing before a wall of wind. With the group was a maid that Naruto did not recognize. He stepped towards Erza and pointed at the maid.

"Who's she and what's going on?"

"That's Lucy's newest Stellar Spirit. We're using her ability to go under this wind wall."

Naruto turned just in time to see the maid dive into the ground as if it was water, leaving a large whole for everyone to crawl through. Natsu quickly jumped in eagerly, excited for another fight. The others soon followed after him, eager to stop Erigor. The tunnel went for a short distance before exiting just outside of the wind barrier. Winds buffeted them but did not hurt them. At most it flapped skirts upwards. Erza glanced around.

"Everyone here."

"Of course Red. And might I say, pink isn't really your color," Naruto replied.

"Pink? What're you talking about?" Erza asked.

Naruto merely pointed downwards. Erza reddened and pressed her skirt down. With her free hand, she punched Naruto.

"BAKA!"

Naruto chuckled, unfazed at the punch.

"Red's a better color."

Naruto swayed back and dodged another punch from Erza. He quickly looked around and found a magical carriage.

"Erza, we can use that to catch up to Erigor!"

Erza nodded before turning to Happy and Natsu. "You two fly up ahead as fast as you can! Stop Erigor!"

Natsu grinned. "Yosh! I got first pick!"

"Move!"

Happy picked Natsu up and flew away. Naruto glanced around and spotted the prone body of Kageyama with them.

"What's he doing here?"

Erza grunted and threw the man inside the carriage. "I took him so we could dispel the wind barrier. He's wounded and needs attention."

"Whatever you say Red," Naruto replied. Naruto hooked up the carriage's power cables to himself. Erza sat beside him while Lucy and Gray went inside the carriage. Once they were all settled in, Naruto pumped his chakra into the carriage and they rocketed after Natsu. As they traveled, Naruto glanced over at Erza.

"You got a pretty deep gash there Red."

Erza turned at Naruto to see him staring at her arm. She looked down to see her arm bleeding, though the wound had mostly clotted. Naruto shifted over, exposing his ninja pack.

"Inside is a scroll marked with a cross. Pump some magic inside and you'll get a first-aid kit. Have Lucy help you with the wound."

Erza nodded and took the scroll. "Thanks Naruto-kun."

As Erza dressed the wound, Naruto's mind flashed back on how they became a couple.

* * *

**_Flashback_**

_"And here's the last one Red!"_

_"Don't call me Red!"_

_Naruto chuckled as he tossed the last bandit in the sloppy pile of unconscious bodies. They were all securely tied with wire wrapped tightly around their wrists. Naruto quickly gathered any usable supplies out of the bandit's base before settling down next to Erza. He pulled out the flier for the job while Erza cleaned and polished her sword.  
_

_"Well another job well done. What do you want to do now?"_

_"As I always do. Go back to the guild. Why don't you sign up with us?" Erza said. "It's a great guild and your very powerful. Master Makarov would welcome you with open arms."_

_Naruto chuckled. "I'm sure but I made a promise to a friend that I would travel for four years before I tie myself down."_

_"You still haven't told me why."_

_"I'd rather not talk about it yet," Naruto said. Erza noticed the tightness in his voice and dropped the subject. There was an awkward pause in the air as Naruto and Erza continued to sit._

_"I noticed back in the town they were preparing for a festival," Naruto started. Erza continued to shine her swords. "I was wondering if you'd go with me to the festival?"_

_Erza paused and looked at Naruto. _

_"Are you asking me out?"_

_Naruto swallowed nervously and nodded. _

_"I am."_

_Naruto reddened as Erza continued to stare at him. He waited nervously until after a long moment, Erza gave him a small smile. _

_"I'd love to Whiskers."_

_Naruto grinned widely._

_"Great!"_

_After several hours, Naruto was waiting down in the hotel's lobby pacing nervously. The innkeeper glanced at Naruto and chuckled._

_"Have a date tonight son?"_

_Naruto glanced up and nodded at the innkeeper."_

_"Yeah ossan? How'd you know?"_

_"I was the same way when I first asked my wife to go to the festival with me years ago," the man said. "Nervous at hell and worried if I would make a fool out of myself."_

_Naruto nodded. "Any suggestions?"_

_The man chuckled and went to the bar. He pulled out a mug of mead for Naruto and passed it to Naruto._

_"I've seen numerous couples pass through here. Each one is different in their own unique way but the main gist is that she came with you because she likes who you are. Don't fake that and be yourself. It's cliche' but true," the man said gently. "Now take a deep breath and drink. That's the best advice I could give you."_

_"Thanks ossan."_

_"The least I could do for the mages that defeated those bandits. Now our festival will be completely safe from those scoundrels."_

_Naruto was about to respond but a voice stopped him. He looked up to see Erza wearing a red kimono. Naruto's mouth dropped. _

_"You ready Naruto?"_

_"Yeah I am. You look great Erza."  
_

_Erza smiled. "Thanks Naruto. Now come on, we don't want to waste time."_

_She grabbed Naruto's hand and pulled him to the festival. Despite Naruto's initial reservations, Erza and him had a wonderful time at the festival. Naruto could not help but smile as the strong, brave, Erza that he knew reverted to a blushing girl at the festival. She was still strong but she displayed a cute side that Naruto did not knew existed. Naruto couldn't help it and swept her off her feet. _

_BONK!_

_"Ow Erza-chan!"_

_"Let me down Naruto-baka!"_

_"But I can't let a princess like you walk around!"_

_"You!" Erza growled. She raised her fist but let it fall around Naruto's neck._

_"You idiot," Erza whispered gently._

_"But I'm your idiot."_

_Erza giggled and turned Naruto's neck around. She gently kissed him for a long moment. When they parted, Naruto nor Erza could suppress the wide smiles on their faces._

_**End Flashback**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Naruto stop! Natsu's over there!"

Naruto stopped the chakra flowing into the buggy. He hopped off the cart and let out a huge sigh. The ride had caused quite a bit of strain but nothing he couldn't walk off. He strode over to Natsu's side and looked down at the scorched body of Erigor. Naruto nodded approvingly at Natsu and ruffled his pink hair.

"Good job Natsu. Well done."

Naruto knelt down and pulled out a coil of ninja wire. He securely tied up the assassin and tossed the person in the backside of the buggy. However just as soon as he tossed Erigor in the cart, Kagemaru made his move and jumped to the controls of the cart. Before anyone could stop him, the cart blasted away far out of the Fairy Tail mages' reach.

"Damnit! We gotta catch him before they activate Lullaby!"

_"Summoning: Toad!"_

With a huge cloud of smoke, a large yellow toad appeared. It was somewhat leaner than the last toad Naruto had summoned. Naruto patted the toad.

"Hey Gamatatsu! We got a cart to catch!"

"Ne ne Naruto-nii! Can I have some snacks?" the toad asked. Naruto chuckled.

"Only if we catch that cart."

Natsu groaned.

"Not again."

They all climbed aboard the toad and the toad hopped in Naruto's direction at a fast rate. The rocky motion of the toad immediately made Natsu nauseous in one hop. Lucy helped Natsu as he let out a stream of vomit. Gray grabbed on tightly to the toad's jacket. Naruto easily stood on the toad's head and chatted with it as it hopped for several miles. After a half hour, Erza pointed out a stone castle a distance away.

"That's where the guild masters are meeting!"

"We're not too late!" Gray said relieved. Just then a pillar of light appeared surrounded by black lightning. From the pillar a large demonic being emerged and roared. Naruto turned and gave Gray and annoyed glance.

"You just had to say that," Naruto said. "Hurry Gamatatsu!"

The toad paused before leaping nearly half a mile to land in front of Lullaby. Gamatatsu dispelled itself, dropping off his passengers. As soon as Naruto's feet hit the ground, five clones immediately surrounded being and quickly drew a circle around the being. Golden chains emerged from the ground and chained the demon. Naruto jumped high in the air and made several hand seals.

_"Fuuton: Grand Vacuum Cannon!"_

A huge pillar of concentrated air blasted straight into Lullaby's chest, rocking the demon. Natsu leaped up and ignited his hands before slamming both of his fists into Lullaby. Lullaby roared and lurched closer towards the guild masters. Lullaby growled and released a stream of energy. The guild masters scattered just as Gray appeared in front of them. With remarkable speed, he created a wall of ice that shielded the blast away. Gray broke down the ice wall and launched the shards at Lullaby. The beast roared in pain. Erza equip changed her armor and slammed her sword at Lullaby's neck, leaving a deep gash.

"One more time now!" Naruto roared. "Natsu gimmee some fire! Gray, need ice!"

Natsu and Gray stood beside Naruto as he made hand seals.

"NOW! _Ninpou: Grand Vacuum Cannon!"_

Naruto launched a pillar of wind as Gray's and Natsu's elemental blasts mixed in, creating a supercharged pillar of steam and punched through Lullaby's chest. At the same time, Erza cleaved Lullaby's head in half with a single swing. Lullaby let out one roar before fading into dust. Behind them awestruck, Makarov looked on in pride as Lucy and the other guild masters looked on in awe as the four Fairy Tail mages easily destroyed the demon.

"Amazing."

"So this is Fairy Tail's power."

"Unbelievable."

"But they wrecked the castle!"

Makarov and Lucy looked around to see the castle destroyed, a side effect of Naruto's last attack. Naruto chuckled sheepishly at the angry mages.

"My bad," Naruto said.

"GET THEM!"

Makarov, Lucy, and the other Fairy Tail mages high tailed it out of the area with a crowd of mages angrily chasing them. As they ran, Naruto smiled in pride and glanced at Erza. Erza's cheek reddened slightly but smiled right back at Erza. Naruto's smile grew into a full blown laugh as they outran the angry mages.

"Get them!"

"Home wreckers!"

"Yeah I can't wait to get my hands on them!" Natsu said eagerly.

"YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!"


End file.
